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Celebrity obsession out of hand?

I have this wild fascination with Nicole Richie – I have no idea why, perhaps its because she has managed to shake off her partying, wild child days and blossom into a successful business woman and mother. I read her blog and wish like hell I could look like her but that’s where it ends. Would I follow her around in the hopes of getting an autograph or a photo? No because I realise she is just a person, a person who happens to be in the public eye because of whose daughter she is and because of the life she has chosen for herself.

We as a culture have an obsession with celebrities, a fascination, a need to see that they are in fact really human beings and not untouchable gods to be revered. But does this mean they should be followed everywhere they go? Should they really be photographed eating a burger, walking their dogs, going to the gym or picking up their children. What makes them a celebrity is essentially their job, so yes when they are at a movie premiere, striding up the red carpet, at a magazine shoot, then perhaps they are free gain but picking up dog poo off the pavement? That’s like someone following you home from work and taking picture after picture of you on your hands and knees weeding the garden. That is your private life. Key word being private. If someone followed you home day after day or sat waiting outside your house with a camera you would call it stalking.

In a recent documentary, Teenage Paparazzi, actor Adrian Garner turned the cameras on the paparazzi and surprise, surprise they didn’t appreciate having their photo taken – one even commented that she didn’t want her photo taken because she didn’t have any makeup on which is ironic considering the paparazzi are constantly trying to get shots of celebrities without their make up on.

But the celebrities these paparazzi prey on are adults, recently there have been paparazzi camped outside Ms. Richie’s daughter, Harlow’s school. Have we really that intrigued by celebrities that we have now started violating the privacy rights of children? Nicole Richie wrote a hard hitting open letter to x17 online on her blog:

Dear X17,

THANK YOU so much for posting the video of your employees sitting outside of my daughter’s school, because now the entire world can see how creepy and disgusting you are.

You do not get to spend 200 dollars on a camera, and think that gives you a free pass to shadow my child. These are strangers, grown men, stalking young children. You think that’s ok?

Here’s a better visual: Pulling up to school and seeing grown men slouched in black windowed cars outside of a preschool, all day. I’m not even there, so you cannot say you are following me as you always do. You are stalking the children. Now how do you feel?

I PROMISE YOU that I am going to do a background check on each and every person that I see there. For the safety of my children and others. Because the last time I did a check on your staff, I found they had no license. Remember that day? The day that ended with a car accident and me in a hospital? You, x17, better be pretty confident in your actions, and feel really good about what you are doing. If I find out anyone has a suspended, restricted or invalid license, I will have them thrown in jail before they can pick up the phone and call their lawyers.

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. These are young children and you should know better. X17, you are irresponsible and repulsive. Consider this a warning.

Nicole Richie

Children are innocent and have yet to have their fates and futures determined – futures they should be free to determine for themselves and men – any men – hiding behind dark glasses and a camera sitting outside a child’s school is decidedly creepy. So, once more I ask are we so desperate for a peek into celebrity’s lives that we would condone the stalking of children?